This invention relates in general to diffusers and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for diffusing or emulsifying a gas or liquid into a material.
The oxygen available in water or other liquids often has a therapeutic value. For example, eyes have a minimum necessary oxygen requirement. The continued presence of oxygen on the eye can be difficult to maintain when wearing contact lenses, particularly when contacts are worn during sleep when the eyes are closed. With typical contact lenses, oxygen passes through the water in the lens. There is a limit to the amount of water that can be used in any contact lens material and this, in turn, limits the amount of oxygen that can get to the eye. The oxygen content of the water used in the manufacture, storage, cleaning and wetting of contact lenses is an important factor in their manufacture and use. In particular, a contact lens wearer's ocular tissue can be damaged by a lack of oxygen. Contact lenses are designed in order to maximize the amount of oxygen reaching the cornea, keeping the eyes fresh and healthy all day long
In many applications, it is necessary to diffuse or emulsify one material—gas or liquid—within a second material. Emulsification is a subset of the process of diffusion wherein small globules of one liquid are suspended in a second liquid with which the first will not mix, such as oil into vinegar. One important application of the diffusion process is in wastewater treatment. Many municipalities aerate their wastewater as part of the treatment process in order to stimulate biological degradation of organic matter. The rate of biological digestion of organic matter is very dependent upon the amount of oxygen in the wastewater, since the oxygen is necessary to sustain the life of the microorganisms which consume the organic matter. Additionally, oxygen is able to remove some compounds, such as iron, magnesium and carbon dioxide.
There are several methods of oxygenating water. First, turbine aeration systems release air near the rotating blades of an impeller which mixes the air or oxygen with the water. Second, water can be sprayed into the air to increase its oxygen content. Third, a system produced by AQUATEX injects air or oxygen into the water and subjects the water/gas to a large scale vortex. Tests on the AQUATEX device have shown an improvement to 200% dissolved oxygen (approximately 20 ppm (parts per million)) under ideal conditions Naturally occurring levels of oxygen in water are approximately 10 ppm maximum, which is considered to be a level of 100% dissolved oxygen. Thus, the AQUATEX device doubles the oxygen content of the water. The increased oxygenation levels last only minutes prior to reverting back to 100% dissolved oxygen levels.
Greater oxygenation levels, and longer persistence of the increased oxygen levels, could provide significant benefits in treating wastewater. Importantly, the efficiency of the organic digestion would be increased and the amount of time need for biological remediation would decrease, improving on the capacity of wastewater treatment facilities.
Accordingly, a need has arisen for a diffusing mechanism capable of diffusing high levels of one or more materials into another material.